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Eden was always beautiful when it snowed. There was no shred of doubt that when a subject of Eden saw snow, their thoughts would associate it with the most delicate and saccharine moments. That was until Uther declared war.
The snow that was always pure and soft to the touch, was now littered with bodies and housing rivers of blood. Everyone ran hiding where they could, and everyone pleaded. The men begged for their wives and children to be sparred, but Uther's knights didn't care. They were ordered to kill and they did so emphatically.
High upon the mountain of the Kingdom in the hallways of the castle, walked a women in a sangria long sleeve dress carrying a baby wrapped in a wool woven blanket. The women made her way down a set of rusted stairs that lead to the dungeons of the castle. She stepped off the final stair and then proceeded to stand in front of a wall that faced away from where the cells were.
"Patentibus" She whispered as her eyes flashed gold. The wall began to push itself back and move towards the right, imparting the hidden tunnels of the castle. She walked in, lighting all the torches with a flash of her eyes. She continued walking until she made it midway. There, she saw the figure of the person entrusted to continue the journey.
"Evening, Gaius." The woman spoke as she saw Gaius's face being lit up by the torches on the wall.
"Ester?" Gaius asked confusion written on his face. "Where is Geralt? He said he would bring the child."
"I'm afraid things have taken a turn for the worse." Ester responded moving closer to the physician before continuing. "King Geralt...is dead and-" She took a heavy breath before finishing her words. "and so is Anastasia." She proceeded to look down, sorrow becoming evident on her face.
Gaius looked stunned for a moment before bowing his head in respect. "I'm sorry about your sister Ester," he said sincerely "and about the King."
"My greatest concern at this moment is the child." Ester avowed as she fixed the sleeping baby's blanket. She tightened it once more since it became loose on the walk down the stairs. "And after you take her, I will finally be able to complete the cloaking spell."
"Are you mad?! That is a dangerous spell. Many don't even think to attempt it, less actually cast it." Gaius asserted as he stared at the witch in disbelief.
"This kingdom is hours away from destruction. As a land that is ruled by sorcerers and with subjects that also practice magic, Uther won't stop until we are all dead. I have no choice but to cast this spell and hide us. Even if the effects of the spell put us into a slumber and erase us from known history, it will be for the best. This will even allow the baby to grow up safely without Uther after her." Ester told the physician. "We are too weak to fight back, Gaius. Trust me this is the best option, for the people and for the future of the Eden."
Her tone was indifferent as she spoke but Gaius knew that her conviction was true. Suddenly, soft whines were heard drawing Gaius's attention properly towards the baby in Ester's arms. The heir to the throne.
"What is her name?" He asked.
"Her name is Katerina." Ester answered as she softly swayed the baby while walking slowly. "Only a few days old and already having to say goodbye to the place that was going to be her home, her Kingdom. But if this works as I trust it will, Eden will still be here for her to take her rightful place."
"How is this going to work, Ester?" Gaius asked feeling a bit doubtful about the spell.
"This spell requires a potent amount of magic and the only person I knew who could conjure such is dead. This is why I've decided to go to his next of kin." Ester said as she looked at the baby. "It's obvious Katerina inherited the King's abilities. I can feel the vibrations of her powers already. It's the same feeling that Geralt's magic emitted. For this reason, I've decided to tether a part of the spell to Katerina." Ester paused before continuing on. "Sadly, tethering her with the spell does mean that her magic will be halted for an unprecedented amount of time and it presumably won't be formidable until she is of age. Only then will she be able to undo the spell and wake up the Kingdom."
"Ester, that will take years." Gaius told her.
"But we won't feel anything, for us it will just be a rest." Ester said as she stopped swaying Katerina once she saw her falling back asleep.
"But will she be ready to rule the Kingdom once it awakens." The physician asked looking at the baby.
"I have seen her future Gaius and she will be spectacular." Ester reassured the man before getting closer and finally placing the baby into his arms softly.
Truthfully, Gaius felt a bit out of place holding Katerina. He wasn't a father and the only other baby he's ever held was Prince Arthur. He was severely untrained on the prospects of childcare. Even if he would only be transporting her to be hidden away from Uther with the possibility of never seeing her again, he wanted to make sure he was doing everything perfectly. Especially because this was the daughter of Geralt, a person he considered a great friend. Even if he was now dead, Gaius still wanted to do right by him. This included making sure he hid Katerina safely.
"Gaius. I am sorry but after I complete the spell even you won't remember this conversation, the Kingdom, or the Amora's." Ester said with perceptible pity. "It will probably be better this way. Uther is ruthless when it comes to traitors and you are a dear family friend. I would hate for anything to happen to you."
"I understand. At least in this moment, I know that I had a part in saving the future of Eden." Gaius said sincerely as he was looking down at Katerina. "Anastasia had previously given me the letter with Katerina's feigned name on it but I was never told anything more. Where is it that I am to take her?"
Ester gave a soft smile. She knew she was keeping important details of her premonition from Gaius, but it was only done because of her own experience with the burden of knowing someone's destiny and how consequential that insight could be. However, at this moment there was one thing she allowed herself to reveal and that was where Katerina needed to go to start fulfilling her destiny.
